1. Field
One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and apparatus for displaying an ultrasound image, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for generating and displaying a color Doppler image that shows a movement of at least a part of an object by using Doppler data.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ultrasound systems have noninvasive and nondestructive characteristics, and thus, are widely used in medical applications for obtaining information about internal body structures of an object. Ultrasound systems may provide medical doctors with high-resolution images of internal body structures of an object without performing surgery involving an incision, and thus, are frequently used in medical applications.
In general, an ultrasound system transmits an ultrasound signal to an object as a probe is brought into contact with a surface of the object and receives an ultrasound signal (hereinafter, referred as an echo signal) reflected from the object. The ultrasound system forms an ultrasound image of the object based on the echo signal received through the probe, and displays the formed ultrasound image on a display.
For example, the ultrasound system may form and display a brightness (B) mode image in which an intensity of the echo signal reflected from the object is expressed by a brightness or a Doppler (D) mode image in which a Doppler component extracted from the echo signal is expressed by a color or a waveform.
In particular, the ultrasound system may generate Doppler data by transmitting an ultrasound signal to the object including a blood vessel through which blood flows and by receiving the echo signal reflected from the object. The ultrasound system may form a color (C) mode image, that is, a color Doppler image, based on the generated Doppler data. The color Doppler image expresses a relative velocity of a bloodstream with respect to a probe by using a color or an arrow. The color Doppler image is widely used to diagnose an occurrence of a cardiac disease.
A general ultrasound system generates a color Doppler image that expresses a relative velocity of a bloodstream with respect to a position of a probe when Doppler data is obtained. When a user using the general ultrasound system manipulates the color Doppler image (for example, when the user moves or rotates the color Doppler image on a screen), the user may not know where the probe is located when the Doppler data is obtained, the location of the probe being a basis of the color Doppler image.
Also, since the general ultrasound system provides the color Doppler image that expresses the relative velocity of the bloodstream with respect to the position of the probe when the Doppler data is obtained, the general ultrasound system may provide a color Doppler image that fails to show an accurate direction of the bloodstream according to a spatial location of the probe.
Accordingly, the user using the general ultrasound system has difficulties in recognizing an accurate direction of the bloodstream which the color Doppler image shows, thereby reducing the accuracy of diagnosis.